Hydrocarbon source rock evaluation of the Lower Cretaceous system in the Baibei Depression, Erlian Basin

Abstract

The K1s, K1d, K1t, and K1a Formations are potential source rock intervals for hydrocarbon formation, all of which are part of the Lower Cretaceous system in the Baibei Depression in the Erlian Basin in China. However, no well has found oil flow because the hydrocarbon-generating potential of the source rocks has not been comprehensively evaluated. Based on organic geochemical and petrological analyses, all the source rocks possess highly variable total organic carbon and S1 + S2 contents. Total organic carbon and S1 + S2 contents indicate that the K1a2 Formation through the K1d1 Formation are source rocks that have fair to good generative potential and the K1d2 Formation through the K1s Formation are source rocks that have good to very good generative potential. The organic matter in the K1a2 Formation is dominated by Type I and II kerogen; thus, it is considered to be oil prone based on H/C versus O/C plots. Most of the analyzed samples were deposited in reducing environments and sourced from marine algae; thus, they are oil prone. However, only two source rock intervals were thermally mature with vitrinite reflectance values in the required range. Hydrocarbon-generating histories show that the K1t and K1a2 intervals began to generate hydrocarbons during the depositional period of the K1d2 and K1d3 Formations, respectively, and stopped generating hydrocarbons at the end of the depositional period of the late Cretaceous. Therefore, the main stage of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation was between the depositional period of the K1d2 and K1s Formations, and the critical moment was the depositional period of the late K1s Formation. The generation conversion efficiency reached approximately 55% in the K1a2 Formation and 18% in the K1t Formation at the end of the Cretaceous sedimentary stage. In general, the effective oil traps are those reservoirs that are near the active source rock in the generating sags in the Baibei Depression.